 20thmaine  | 10 Dec 2016 4:33 a.m. PST |
I think eventually they'll disappear. Maybe 30-40 years from now. So, not a problem for me  |
| Recovered 1AO | 10 Dec 2016 5:36 a.m. PST |
As long as someone is willing to pay too much for rules they have not played they will exist. |
| Winston Smith | 10 Dec 2016 5:54 a.m. PST |
Is it mandatory that editorial writers in gaming magazines lament problems that only they can see? |
| 20thmaine | 10 Dec 2016 6:35 a.m. PST |
Got to fill that 750 words somehow…. |
| robert piepenbrink | 10 Dec 2016 9:51 a.m. PST |
I keep seeing a two-way split. One way, you get short rules to play a wargame with. Some of those will be word or pdf, and a lot of them will be free. The upper limit is probably some of the new Osprey rules. The other way, you get a tome you can barely lift--rules, campaign guide, beautiful illustrations, fake history for the fantasy and SF crowd, army lists and uniform guides. This starts at about the price of a smallish army. I think eventually the in-between stuff will be less common, and I think the multi-volume sets are a bubble just about ready to pop. But I can see the high/low stuff working in tandem. You sell the cheap version--or even give it away--then make serious money on the tome. Or you sell the tome with an individual ID number which gives you access to the cheap on-line version. As long as there are wargamers with reasonably serious money, none of the luxury products are going away. |
| Frederick | 10 Dec 2016 10:49 a.m. PST |
When I compare the rule books currently to those "back in the day" – I think they have come a long way in terms of durability and visual appeal (remember first edition Chainmail?) I think they will be here for a while |
| Who asked this joker | 10 Dec 2016 11:39 a.m. PST |
So long as their are old farts who enjoy a pretty book, there will be a market. The logical conclusion is that they will eventually disappear. Like 20thmaine says, in 30-40 years, I likely won't care either way.  |
| Yesthatphil | 10 Dec 2016 6:23 p.m. PST |
People in publishing are generally finding it is the e book that is falling back, not the quality non-fiction hardback. In times to come I just think you'll get an e version free with your hard copy for extra convenience (but it will still be the real book that 'carries' the rest of the package) Phil |
| Raynman | 10 Dec 2016 6:36 p.m. PST |
I will always buy the pretty book! |
| Weasel | 11 Dec 2016 10:10 a.m. PST |
Even "the kids these days" seems to prefer physical books to digital when it comes to gaming, so I wouldn't be too worried. |
| Scorpio | 12 Dec 2016 10:30 a.m. PST |
"hurtle toward digital damnation"? Seriously? Just reading that makes me want to throw away two rulebooks just to spite them. |
